Machine fob cleaning grain when fed to the mill and cooling the



AKINS & BABCOCK-, Machine for Cleaning Grain and Cooling Millstones.

' Patented June 12,1860.

In V5 N. PEIERS. mmyun n ber, wnhanm n.c.

' UN IT STATES TENT FFIOE.

WILLIAM H. AKINS AND D. BABCOCK, OF DRYDEN, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING GRAIN WHEN FED TO THE MILL AND COOLING THE MILLSTONES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 28,643, dated June 12, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WVILLIAM H. AKINs and DARIUS BABCOOK, of Dryden, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement on Machines for Cleaning Grain and Cooling Hillstones; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a transverse section. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the construction of the fan, and the difference in the position of the wings when the fan runs in either direction, and the manner of confining them. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a portion of the machine with the covering removed. Fig. 4 is a top view of the arrangement for regulating the feed, and the strength of the blast of air; with the hopper removed. Fig. 5 is a section of the curved inclines (a), and the manner of attaching the arms (0,) of tube Q.

00nstmwt2'0n.VVe make a curb, either round or octagonal, as shown in Fig. 2. For a stone running at the rate of 150 revolutions per minute, we would make it of sufiicient size to inclose a fan, three feet and six inches in diameter, and eight inches broad, letting two of the angles extend far enough to form a suflicient opening as shown in Fig. 2, at letters A, a; for a stone running at the rate of 160 revolutions per minute, viz., three feet three inches, by eight inches broad. Thus the fan should be increased or diminished in proportion as the stone runs slower or faster. The fan is constructed as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the wing L being firmly attached by riveting or otherwise to the shank M, having a hole X which is slipped over the pin 0, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, projecting upward from the flange K shown in Fig. 2, the shank M forming a latch behind the pin P Fig. 2, to keep it firmly in its proper position. The flange K incloses the hollow cylinder S to which it is made fast, the cylinder having arms and hub K, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the hub encircling the shaft H, and firmly attached thereto, the,

shaft H having its bearing in the hub of bridgetree J, and running down into the eye of the stone as shown in Fig. 1, the crank F being made fast to its lower end by ,a screw, the 'wrist G of the crank running down below the bail E. On the upper end of shaft H is a conically shaped piece of wood N, or other material, inverted, with its sides curved, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, revolving with the shaft, for the purpose hereafter described, the cone N having the pin P inserted in its upper or flat surface at a sufficient distance from its center to sweep the inner and lower end of the feeding tube Q as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The tube R is made to fit the inner side of the cylinder S so that the cylinder may easily revolve around its lower end and also admit of its being raised or lowered by means of the nuts 7 on the upper ends of the arms S, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Its use will be described in the operation. The conically shaped tube I is fastened to the underside of the lower deck of the case or curb WV, as is also the bridgetree J ,the small end of the tube entering the eye of the stone, leaving a space between the tube and eye of the stone of about one and a half inches to admit the air as hereafter described. The tube Q, having arms as shown in Fig. 4, is fitted into the upper deck a of the curb W and directly over the center of the cone N and under the hopper X, the ends of the arms being fitted into the grooves b in the curved inclines a shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, so that by turning the handle 0 the tube Q may be raised or lowered as may be required, the upper end of Q, being fitted into the hopper X to receive the grain, as shown in Fig. 1. The hopper X stands upon the curb WV, as shown in Fig. 1, supported by the posts Y, and is of the usual form except having a round hole in the bottom to fit the tube Q,. The lower end of the cylinder S is snugly fitted into a round hole in the center of the lower deck a of the curb WV but not so tight as to prevent an easy rotation of the cylinder S. The circular plate T lies fiat upon the upper deck 2, having holes cl at equal distances, as shown in Fig. 4, with corresponding holes in the deck 2, as shown in Fig. 1. The bed stone A, runner B, spindle G, driver D, bail E, and curb U, are made in the usual way, except in the curb U the holes V are made for the admission of air, near its upper edge, just above the top of the running stone B Operation-The curb V containing all of the machinery is placed centrally on the curb U, so as to close the aperture in the top of the curb U and made fast. The stone B being set in motion in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, the bail E will press against the wrist G of crank F, revolving the shaft H, cylinder S, cone N, and fan L, causing a strong current of air to rush through the holes V, over the stone B to its eye; consequently every part of the upper surface of the stone as it revolves must receive the rush of cold air, keeping it cool. The air taking the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 pass ing over the stone, up through the tube 1, cylinder S, stationary tube R, and over its top into the fan, and is discharged at A, a, Fig. 2. Now, during this operation of cooling the stone, or keeping it cool, the hopper containing grain, the handle 0 Fig. 1 being turned to the right, the inclines a, would raise tube Q, as shown in Fig. 3, from the base of the inverted revolving cone N, giving easy egress to the grain, it being constantly stirred at the lower end of the tube by the revolving pin P. The grain being on the upper surface of the revolving cone N is distributed radially by the centrifugal force of the cone against the inner side of the tube R, near its upper end, where it must momentarily stop to change its direction downward. At this point, the grain under process of cleaning preparatory to grinding is spread to the action of the blast of air passing up through the tube R to the extent of from (30 to 36) thirty to thirty-six inches, the tubes R varying from ten to twelve inches in diameter, being made of suitable size for the amount of grain ground per hour. The grain on leaving the outer edge of the cone N encounters the upward blast, directed outward by the curved sides of cone N at the very point where the impurities are easiest dislodged, by blowing them over the upper end of tube R into the fan, to be discharged at A, a, Fig. 2. If the fan should blow too hard, and grain should be carried over into the fan, the circular plate T should be turned, by means of the handle L shown in Figs. 1 and 4, so as to supply a portion of the call of the fan by admitting air through the holes (Z in the upper deck of the curb, as shown at cl, Fig. 1, and indicated by the arrows. If, when the holes are fully opened, the blast is still too strong, the nuts f should be turned, raising the tube R until no grain is blown over. If, in putting up our machine, we should find that the stone runs in the other direction from the one herein described, the shank of the fan M must be raised over the pin P, Fig. 2, and be swung around into the position shown by the red lines, and again latched behind the pins P, as shown in Fig. 2. The wings of the fan are then in their proper position for work, when the stone runs as last described.

The nature of our invention consists in so constructing and placing the fan that a current of cold air is constantly rushing over the stone, keeping it cool, the air then passing up through a tube surrounding a revolving inverted cone, with its sides gently curved, to give direction to the air, the tube and cone being surrounded by a fan, driven by the bail or driver of the running-stone, and at equal speed, the grain passing from the hopper through a tube that can be raised or lowered, from, or to, the base of the revolving cone, so that an equal flow of grain may be fed through, either more, or less, as the mill may be capable of grinding, the grain being constantly stirred by a pin placed in the upper end of the cone, at a distance from its center that shall just sweep the inner surface of the tube, keeping it light, and crowding out other substances such as straws, sticks, or thistle heads, &c., that might otherwise obstruct an equal flow of grain, the grain as it enters the center of the fan being spread to the action of the blast, by the re volving cone, to the unexampled extent of from two and a half to three feet, at the very point where the blast first strikes it, and near the top of the tube surrounding the cone over which the impurities are easily blown, as the grain must stop momentarily when it strikes the tube to change its course downward into the eye of the stone, the grain being thus cleaned in the center of the fan, or during its vertical passage through the fan.

What we claim and desire to secure bv Letters Patent is- 1. The tube Q, arms 0 and inclines a in combination with the hopper X and the upper surface of the revolving cone N, and the pin P; when used for feeding grain from a hopper as described.

2. The cone N and tube R in combination with the fan L, when the fan L surrounds the cone N and tube R; the cone distributing the grain radially, from its upper surface, its curved sides guiding the blast of air so as to most effectually dislodge all impurities.

8. The air passage between the upper surface of the stone B, and the curb U, formed by closing the opening X X, and inserting the holes V V, for the admission of air at the outer edge and upper surface of stone B, for the combined purpose of cooling the stone in its passage over it, from its periphery to its center or eye; and supplying the fan with air to clean the grain.

4:. The manner of reversing the wings of b 1 the fan L by hanging them upon the pin 0 the stone, thereby avoiding the use of gear, so that they may be swung around to the band, or belt.

position shown by the red lines in Fig. 2 WILLIAM H. AKINS. and latched over the pins P. DARIUS BABCOOK.

5 5. Running the fan L directly from the Witnesses: bail E (or from the driver D which would Dnwrr'r C. BOUTON, be equivalent thereto) at the same speed of EDWIN Frr'rs. 

